Getty
AJ Dybantsa #3 of the BYU Cougars is atop the NBA Mock Draft 2026.
The race to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft kicked into high gear on Thursday as BYU superstar A.J. Dybantsa announced he’s leaving college after 1 season.
Dybantsa, a 6-foot-9 small forward, averaged 25.5 points per game in his lone college season to go with 6.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists.
“BYU’s AJ Dybantsa the potential No. 1 pick — has declared for the 2026 NBA draft,” ESPN’s Shams Charania wrote on his official X account.
Yahoo Sports NBA Senior Analyst Kevin O’Connor has Dybantsa going No. 1 overall in his latest NBA mock draft to the Chicago Bulls.
“If the Bulls are lucky enough to move up from the ninth-best odds, it’d be hard to imagine them taking anyone but Dybantsa, who led the nation in scoring as a freshman by averaging 25.5 points for a top-25 team,” O’Connor wrote. “At 6-foot-9, players his size are not supposed to move with the herky-jerky elasticity that Dybantsa does. He can dunk over defenders. He can stop on a dime and fade away from midrange. And he can catch fire from behind the line too.”
Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame